Cook fish perfectly every time with these top tips
Fish made easy
Don't be intimidated
Cooking fish takes many of us out of our kitchen comfort zones. The trick is to be organised. Fish cooks quickly so read the recipe through carefully, have all your ingredients weighed out and prepared and you're ready to go. Begin with an easy, foolproof recipe like our fish pie with kippers, which is great for feeding a crowd.
Use your nose
Buy the best you can afford
When is it cooked?
There are a few ways to check that fish is cooked through. Towards the end of cooking, gently press it – it should feel firm with little give. You can also cut into the thickest part of the fish and pull back the flesh – if it’s opaque and flaky, it’s ready. If you're still a little nervous about when your fish is cooked, try our recipe for a smoky bean and monkfish stew first. If monkfish is too expensive, hake also works really well here.
Nothing wrong with frozen
Frozen fish is fine to use if you can't get fresh and is good to have on standby in the freezer for midweek meals. You can cook it straight from the freezer but it will benefit from being thawed in the fridge beforehand. It should be frozen hard with no sign of thawing. The packaging shouldn't be damaged and you should check for signs of freezer burn – look for any white, dry patches. Try our recipe for garlic pepper butter prawns, using frozen.
Love the skin your fish is in
For pan-frying or grilling, leave the skin on the fish. It's good to eat if it's nice and crisp. Even if it's not your thing, you can easily remove it in one piece once it's cooked. Crisp salmon skin works really well in our recipe for pan-fried Cajun salmon, the spicy marinade combining perfectly with a quinoa and sweetcorn salad – and it's healthy too.
Keep it simple
The best fish dishes aren't overcomplicated. Fillets of cod or salmon are delicious simply baked in a hot oven for around 15 minutes, with a squeeze of lemon and fresh herbs added at the end. Our quick and easy pan-fried salmon with a pine nut, olive and caper salsa is a perfect midweek supper, which takes only 40 minutes from start to finish.
Get the recipe for pan-fried salmon with a pine nut, olive and caper salsa here
Use big flavours
Meaty fish, such as tuna and swordfish, can take on big, punchy, sharp flavours. A drizzle of soy sauce, a squeeze of lime and a sprinkling of chilli flakes will take a simple fillet to the next level. They also work well with Mediterranean ingredients. Our recipe for tuna with a vegetable vinaigrette is a treat, with olives, sherry vinegar and capers.
Keep it juicy
The culinary term 'en papillote' simply means 'in a parcel'. Fillets of fish are wrapped in a baking parchment paper bag with various herbs and aromatics and the fish steams inside. It's a very quick and easy method, and once you are confident, you can vary the herbs and spices to your taste. Start with our recipe for cod baked with coriander, tomatoes and garlic.
Get the recipe for cod baked with coriander, tomatoes and garlic here
Check for bones
Fire up the grill
It's worth investing in a fish grilling basket for smaller fish such as sardines and mackerel. Super fresh fish like this are at their best grilled. They take just a few minutes a side, oiled well with a sprinkling of sea salt and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Perfect summer food. So get grilling with our easy barbecued mackerel recipe.
Try it rare and spicy
Just like a great sirloin, fish fillets such as tuna or salmon can be seared on the outside but barely cooked in the middle. Be sure of your source – with tuna, try to find sashimi grade tuna but whichever your choice, it needs to be super fresh. A great place to start is our recipe for seared tuna with fennel salad, served with a tangy Thai dressing to balance the richness of the tuna.
Marinate fish
The beauty of marinating fish is that it takes so little time for the flavours to be absorbed. Around 30 minutes is usually fine. Marinades with anything acidic in them, such as lemon juice or vinegar, will begin to cook and cure the fish, so be aware. Try our great idea for marinating white fish with punchy harissa and lemon, served with spicy couscous. Best of all, it's a one-tray bake.
We say ceviche
Peruvian ceviche is effectively 'cooked' and cured with citrus juice, which firms up and flavours the thin slices of fish while slowly turning them opaque. The result is wonderfully light and fresh, and very easy to make, with just some chopping and no cooking required. If prawns are your thing, it doesn't get better than our recipe for spicy prawn ceviche with avocado and red onion.
Get the recipe for prawn ceviche with avocado and onion here
Give salt-baking a go
Experiment with a lighter batter
Traditional fish batters tend to be very heavy but now chefs are inspired by the light, tempura batters from Japan. A little cornflour or semolina flour and ice-cold, sparkling water in the batter mixture makes the end result much lighter and really crisp. To try it out yourself, give our recipe for monkfish fritters, which are served with a lemon and mustard mayonnaise, a go. You could also use cod or hake.
Don't shy away from fish curries
Fish curries are popular in India, Sri Lanka and Thailand, and are incredibly quick to make, especially if you buy a ready-made paste. You'll need firm white fish, prawns or shellfish – or a mixture. You can go down the hot and spicy masala route with a kick of chilli or make something creamier using coconut milk, such as our milder white fish curry. Serve with rice, poppadoms and chopped fresh tomatoes on the side.
Stock up on tinned anchovies
An essential store cupboard ingredient, anchovies are brilliant to have on standby. Buy the very best you can find – Spanish ones are fantastic. Instead of adding a fishy flavour to dishes, anchovies add umami, a rich, savoury taste akin to mushrooms or soy sauce. Stud into a leg of lamb before roasting or make our 15-minute puttanesca sauce with tomatoes, olives and garlic.
Bake a whole fish
Baking a whole fish isn't as daunting as you may think, and it makes a great dish for a gathering. Have your fishmonger clean, scale and gut the fish, then just fill the cavity with lemon slices and herbs and wrap in foil to bake. Depending on the size, it will take one to two hours. It's cooked when you can easily pull out the dorsal fin. Give our Norwegian-inspired salmon recipe a try.
Master a fish pie
Let's be honest – a great fish pie is hard to beat. Kids love it and it's wonderful comfort food. You can use any combination of fish you like but try to include some smoked fish, such as haddock, to add a richer flavour. You don't even need to pre-cook the fish as it will cook in the sauce as it heats up. Try our recipe with salmon, prawns and smoked haddock. Just serve with buttered peas.
Experiment with fish cakes
A firm family favourite, fish cakes can take on so many guises. Most recipes freeze well too, so it's worth making a big batch. One we love is our recipe using smoked fish and horseradish, served with a punchy caper mayonnaise. Because it contains potatoes, you just need greens or a salad to serve it with.
Try a fish tagine...
Because salmon is such a rich fish, it takes on big, strong flavours easily. Whether you like to use it in a curry or in a Japanese-inspired dish with soy and mirin, it's much better than serving it with a creamy sauce which makes it too heavy. Our recipe for salmon tagine uses cumin and paprika, and the oiliness of the salmon is balanced out by adding plenty of citrus and sultanas.
...or Mediterranean fish stews
All along the Mediterranean coast, you'll encounter a fish stew. Each village or region has their own version but the base ingredients remain pretty similar – tomatoes, garlic, fennel, onions and olives. The great thing about a dish like this is that you prepare the base sauce ahead of time, then just add the fish when you are ready to serve. Our recipe is made with white fish and mussels, but you can vary the fish as you prefer.
Try spicy fish balls instead of meat
If you are a little worried about over-cooking fish, these little fish balls with ginger, garlic and coriander are a great way to gain confidence. Served in a spicy tomato sauce with just a little hint of chilli, you can prepare both the fish balls and sauce ahead of time and store in the fridge, then assemble and finish the dish when you are ready to serve. They're perfect with hot naan, poppodoms or basmati rice.
Get the recipe for fish balls with ginger, garlic and coriander here
Upgrade your snack game
Salmon hummus, you say? It works so well, trust us. Blitz canned salmon with chickpeas, garlic and tahini for an irresistible dip and spread. Try our speedy recipe which is served with a radish and red onion salad to cut through the richness of the fish. You could also use leftover cooked salmon.
Try British fish and chips
A classic British dish, fish and chips is pretty irresistible. And we have a few tricks up our sleeve to help you prepare it at home, avoiding the mess and calories of deep-frying. Our healthy version will suit kids and adults alike, breadcrumbed and shallow-fried rather than battered and deep-fried, with homemade chips baked in the oven.
Fish tacos are perfect for quick dinners
You just can't beat a great fish tacos – crisp, crumbed fish in a tortilla with a crunchy salad drizzled with a creamy chipotle sauce. Best of all, prepare everything ahead, then fry the fish and allow everyone to build their own. We've used cabbage, red onion and crunchy lettuce as the salad, but you could add avocado and spring onions too.
Steam the Chinese way
Steamed fish can be so very dull. It needs punchy ingredients to add flavour and with the right recipe, you'll have it nailed. It's light and healthy, so just serve with some stir-fried vegetables and rice to make a perfect supper. Our Cantonese steamed fish with ginger is perfect with chunky white fish such as cod and uses mostly store cupboard ingredients.
Don't forget fish burgers
Fish burgers are really just a bigger version of a fish cake, large enough to nestle neatly in a bun. Salmon works especially well. In our recipe for salmon and dill burgers, fresh salmon is combined with smoked, lots of fresh dill, lemon and panko breadcrumbs, which are worth using as they are so light and crisp. Served with a piquant caper mayonnaise, fennel and dill pickle, they are ready in just 30 minutes.
Fish dinner that's ready in 20 minutes
One of the joys of cooking with fish is that it's so speedy. Our Middle Eastern recipe for roasted cod with a coriander crust certainly packs a punch with all its flavours. Cod fillets are coated with an aromatic spice mix and fresh coriander, topped with a fresh bay leaf and plenty of lemon to serve with a citrus tahini sauce. Serve with rice or steamed new potatoes.
Make restaurant-quality ramen at home
Restaurant-quality food at home? Here's a speedy twist on the black cod recipe, with just 30 minutes' marinating. The marinade is simple, with soy, ginger and miso. The cod is fried until the skin is beautifully crisp, then incorporated with soba noodles cooked in a savoury soy broth. Add some pak choy and spring onions and you have a healthy, nourishing dish.
Upgrade to a lighter fish pie
This recipe shows you can have a fish pie without the creamy sauce and buttered mash, but with all the flavour. Plus, there's the added crunch of crisp filo pastry as a topping. Milk and the natural juices from cooking the fish, leeks and onions are thickened to make the sauce, which coats the prawns, cod and smoked haddock, with the addition of frozen peas. So simple, yet so tasty.
Try Vietnamese fish stew
Here's a Vietnamese version of a southern French bouillabaisse – fragrant, lightly spiced, sharp and sweet. It's made with readily available ingredients, with white fish, prawns and clams providing the fishy element. The secret ingredient is chunks of pineapple, which add a wonderful sweetness to balance out the chilli and spices. Ready in just 35 minutes.
Warm up with a creamy fish chowder
It's hard to beat a big, steaming bowl of comforting fish chowder. With potatoes, sweetcorn, firm white fish, prawns and scallops, all in a rich, creamy sauce, it's ready to serve in just 35 minutes. Serve with crispy bacon and crunchy croutons for added flavour and texture.
Try fish in a salad
Bring southern French sunshine into your kitchen with this different twist on a warm fish salad. Hake is roasted with olive oil, white wine and lemon on a bed of fresh herbs, served with blanched samphire and juicy, ripe tomatoes and more herbs. Samphire is a coastal grass, which tastes a little bit like young asparagus. Blanching takes out the excess salt and it's a perfect partner for fish.
Salmon is great for hosting
If you're hosting a gathering, a whole side of salmon is an easy solution. Here it's marinated (overnight, if you can) in spices and maple syrup, then it's simply grilled to serve. It's accompanied by a tangy, herby pineapple salsa and wonderfully sticky caramelised onion rice. It's all prepared and cooked in under an hour.
Fish is great for kebabs too
Fish kebabs are an easy win for the barbecue. They're a breeze to prepare and quick to cook. Our recipe uses chunks of salmon, though meaty swordfish or tuna would work well. Threaded onto skewers with courgette and lemon and served with a herby yogurt dip, they take just a few minutes each side. An oiled fish grill makes turning easier and saves burnt fingers.
Have frozen prawns to hand
Having a bag of raw prawns in the freezer is the answer to midweek meals, shown perfectly in this easy dish. There's an onion and spice curry paste to make, which is just whizzed up in the blender and fried off, before adding the prawns to cook in the sauce. As soon as the prawns are pink throughout, they are cooked and ready to serve. Over-cooking makes them tough and chewy.
Buy hake, if you can
Chefs love hake and so should we. This white, firm, meaty fish from deep seas is sustainable across the world and offers good value for money. Fillets take no more than 10 minutes to cook, so try our recipe, where the hake is cooked over butter beans, tomatoes, garlic and onions with a little spice. It's served with a tangy mayonnaise. You just need some crusty bread to mop up the juices.
Get the recipe for hake and butter beans with lemon mayo here
Fish is great on the barbecue too
Our foolproof recipe for barbecued salmon will give the perfect result every time – crisp skin and crust, tender and soft on the inside. Just add an hour to marinate in soy, mirin and chilli, before grilling over direct heat. It only takes ten minutes and makes a great option to a very meaty barbecue. Just remember to clean the grill thoroughly and oil it beforehand to prevent sticking.
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